6 teams are joining our Green Surgery Challenge this year!

Following a very successful launch and an excellent response for our call for project ideas, six teams have been selected for mentoring in this year's Green Surgery Challenge!  

These teams have devised project ideas to make their surgical practice more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, whilst maintaining or improving standards of clinical care.  

Projects vary from reducing single-use consumables, streamlining surgical pathways and replacing local anaesthesia in place of general anaesthesia for suitable procedures. 

Dr Olivia Bush, Clinical Programme Director at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (and programme director for the Green Surgery Challenge), said: 

“We are looking forward to working with the teams to run projects that will show very clearly what sustainable surgical practice looks like and inspire others in the surgical community to take action for a more sustainable surgical future. It is exciting to be working with such enthusiastic and committed clinicians and to help them to develop their expertise and impact in sustainable surgery." 

The 6 teams will each participate in a workshop where they will work with mentors from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare to prioritise the most feasible project with potential for greatest impact and start planning their project.  Mentoring will continue as they run their quality improvement projects over 10 weeks, with the aim of making their surgical practice more environmentally sustainable, building social capital and avoiding financial waste.   

After the 10 week quality improvement project period, teams will produce a report covering the approach, context, results, impact and key learning points for their Green Surgery Challenge Project. They will also showcase their projects and achievements at a high-profile judging and awards ceremony in November 2021.   

More details about the projects and teams will be announced as the teams progress with their projects. Stay up to date with the Green Surgery Challenge, and upcoming events by signing up to our newsletter, here.   

The Green Surgery Challenge is brought to you by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, supported by Gold funders and sponsors NIHR MedTech Co-operative in Surgical Technologies and Elemental Healthcare, silver sponsors Royal College of Surgeons England and Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, bronze sponsors the AHSN Network and Vanguard Medical Remanufacturing, and partners, the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the Association for Perioperative Practice.